Shelter's Reopening Delayed

News to Note - Seminole

July 31, 2001

SANFORD -- The reopening of the SPCA of Central Florida's Seminole County shelter will be delayed more than a month. The opening, originally planned for Wednesday, was moved back to mid-September because damage at the long-neglected facility was more extensive than originally thought, executive director Barbara Wetzler said. The Orlando Humane Society -- now called the SPCA of Central Florida -- took over its troubled Seminole County counterpart July 1. Workers immediately began moving animals to clear the way for renovating and cleaning the shelter off U.S. Highway 17-92. When ceiling tiles were removed, it was discovered that rats had chewed through wiring. The building will need to be rewired, and a new air-conditioning system has to be installed.